Support Bracket for Shelves

ABSTRACT

The invention relates to a support bracket for shelves, consisting of a bearing surface for supporting a shelf panel in the vicinity of its edge and fixing elements for connecting the bracket to an upright. The latter comprises a retaining element that runs essentially parallel to the bearing surface and at distance from the latter, forming a coupling recess for the shelf panel in such a way that the edge of said panel can be held between the bearing surface and the retaining element. According to the invention, the bracket is composed of a support part ( 1 ), which comprises the retaining element and a support section ( 3 ), and a bearing surface part ( 2 ), which can be coupled to the support part ( 1 ) in such a way that the distance between the retaining element and the bearing plane of the bearing surface part can be modified. The opening of the coupling recess is defined by at least one block, whose depth corresponds to that of the shelf panel which can be introduced between the support section ( 3 ) of the support part ( 1 ) and the bearing plane ( 15 ) of the bearing surface part.

The present invention relates to a support bracket for shelves according to the characterizing part of claim 1.

European patent EP 0 819 395, owned by the same applicant, describes a bracket of this kind in which the coupling recess formed between a support section and a retaining portion holds the edge of a shelf panel in such a way as to form a shelf. Therefore, the height of the coupling recess, i.e. the distance of the retaining portion from the support section, is fixed and consequently, for every depth of the support section, the need arises for implementing a bracket with a coupling recess whose width corresponds the depth of the shelf panel or, vice versa, for making the depth of the shelf panel correspond to the width of the coupling recess.

Furthermore, brackets are known in which an adjustment of the width of the coupling recess that holds the edge of a shelf panel is possible, in which either part of the coupling recess is movable towards the other, usually the retaining section. Such a mobility is provided by a mechanism or by means of a screw engaging the moving portion, so as to lock the moving portion on to the upper edge of the shelf panel. Unfortunately, such a solution is very complicated and features the additional disadvantage of not being stable with time, especially under the locking action.

Conversely, Italian patent application BZ2004A042, registered on 20 Aug. 2004, describes a bracket which comprises a support part, including a retaining element, and a bearing surface part which can be coupled to the support part in a number of discrete positions, so that the distance between the retaining element and the bearing plane of the bearing surface part can be varied, the support part comprising a support section, on two surfaces of which, running parallel to each other, there are a plurality of mutually parallel teeth which extend towards the support structure and the bearing surface part comprises an hollow body with two walls running parallel to each other closed by a bearing plane on the upper side, each of the inner surfaces of the parallel walls being equipped with a plurality of teeth running parallel to each other and capable of engaging or meshing the teeth of the support part according to a geometric coupling.

In the meantime, it has been found that, in certain situations, not always are the teeth that can be mutually coupled in different positions appropriate for obtaining an only low number of opening heights for the retaining recess.

Therefore, it's an object of the present invention to provide a bracket whose recess receiving the edge of a shelf panel is adjustable in a simple, fast, and stable way and does not need an expensive mechanism and at the same time makes it possible to get standardized opening heights as determined by depths of the shelf panels of the shelves available on the market.

This and other objects are achieved by a support bracket for shelves in the characterizing part of claim 1.

Since the depths of the shelf panels of the shelves available on the market are usually standardized, the possibility is given according to this invention of adapting the opening of the discrete block recess to such depths.

If the coupling is obtained by interposing at least one block in the stroke of the bearing surface part with respect to the support part between the bearing surface of the support part and the bearing plane of the bearing surface part, then the recess opening can be adjusted according to the block height or to a multiple thereof.

In the preferred implementation taken as an example, the bracket's bridge includes two upper side indentations running parallel to each other, which narrow the bridge for accommodating the complementary upper projections, facing to each other, of the bearing surface part walls and two lower rear indentations directed towards a fixing wall, in which the projections of the bearing surface part make a sliding engagement on the rear side, to capture at least one block in the space between the bearing plane of the bearing surface part and the surface of the support section of the bearing surface part.

In order to stabilize the stroke of the bearing surface part in the support part, guides are cut in the depth of the bearing surface part walls, suitable for receiving lower ridges laterally projecting from the support section of the support part in the position in correspondence with which the projections pass through the upper indentations of the bridge.

Further characteristics and advantages of the support bracket for shelves according to this invention are apparent from the claims and from the following description, which make reference to the attached drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 shows a front perspective view of a support part of a bracket for shelves according to the invention,

FIG. 2 shows a side rear perspective view of a bearing surface part of a support bracket for shelves,

FIG. 3 shows a perspective view of a block,

FIG. 4 shows a side rear perspective view of a support part according to FIG. 1, and

FIG. 5 shows a top view of a bearing surface part according to FIG. 2.

The figures show a support bracket for shelves according to the invention, comprising a support part 1 and a bearing surface part 2.

The support part 1 comprises a support section 3, which is linked to a retaining portion 5 by a bridge 4 to form together a coupling recess 6 in an edge of a shelf panel not shown in the figure.

In the bridge 4 there is a fixing hole 5 for receiving connection means, for example screws, featuring a support structure, not shown in the figure.

On two upper surfaces of the bridge 4 there are two through-pass indentations 7 and 8 running parallel to each other in the same direction as the axis of the fixing hole 5 and, below such indentations, two rear indentations 9 and 10 undercut with respect to the through-pass direction of the upper indentations 7 and 8. Also, the support section 3 comprises two lower ridges 11 and 12 directed in opposite directions with respect to each other, departing from the support section 3.

Walls 13 and 14, running parallel to each other, of the bearing surface part 2 are closed upwards by a bearing plane 15 comprising an indentation 16. The walls 13 and 14 include two upper projections 17 and 18 directed towards each other, complementary to the upper indentations 7 and 8 of the support part 1, as well as two lower rear indentations directed towards a fixing wall, in which the indentations of the bearing surface part make a sliding engagement on the rear side to capture at least one block 21 in the space between the bearing plane of the bearing surface part and the surface of the support section of the support part. 

1. A support bracket for shelves, consisting of a bearing surface for supporting a shelf panel in the vicinity of one of its edges and fixing elements for firmly connecting the bracket to an upright, a retaining element that runs essentially parallel to the bearing surface and at a distance from the latter, so as to form a coupling recess for the shelf panel in such a way that the edge of said panel can be held between the bearing surface and the retaining element, the bracket being composed of a support part, which comprises the retaining element and a support section, and a bearing surface part which can be coupled to the support part in such a way that the distance between the retaining element and the bearing plane of the bearing surface part can be modified, characterized in that the opening of the coupling recess is defined by at least one block whose depth corresponds to that of a shelf panel and is to be introduced between the support section of the support part and the bearing plane of the bearing surface part.
 2. The support bracket as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the bridge of the bracket has two upper lateral indentations running parallel to each other, which narrow the bridge to allow two complementary upper projections, facing to each other, of the walls of the bearing surface part to pass through, and two lower rear indentations directed towards a fixing wall, in which the projections of the bearing surface part make a sliding engagement on the rear side to secure the at least one block in the space between the bearing plane of the bearing surface part and the surface of the support section of the support part.
 3. The support bracket as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that guides are cut in the depth of the walls of the bearing surface part for accommodating lower ridges laterally projecting from the support section of the support part in the position where the projections pass through the upper indentations of the bridge. 